


So Well

by sayasamax3



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Caretaking, Comfort, M/M, Mild Illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-07 05:35:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3163193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayasamax3/pseuds/sayasamax3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsukishima has never been sick in all the years Yamaguchi has known him, until today.</p>
            </blockquote>





	So Well

Tsukishima Kei has never been sick once in all the years Yamaguchi has known him.   No colds, no allergies, just years and years of enviable perfect health.

So Yamaguchi thinks he can be forgiven for writing off the way Tsukishima had sniffled during their commute to school, in the bitter cold that had made their eyes leak as much as their noses. 

But Tsukishima breathes harshly all through practice, and sniffles any time he’s got a moment to be still. By the end of practice his voice is scratchy, and Tsukishima’s cheeks remain a harsh red even after they’ve all cooled down and cleaned up the gym. 

The utter seriousness of the situation becomes truly apparent when Tsukishima completely fails to respond to Hinata’s post-practice deluge of commentary.  He offers no rolled eyes, no snarky comebacks—just tired resignation and suppressed coughs.

Yamaguchi knows he is the only one who can take action.

“Excuse me Hinata,” Yamaguchi says, pulling Tsukishima away from the younger boy; Tsukishima’s body follows his lead with a distressing lack of resistance, “I need to borrow Tsukki for a sec, okay?”

Hinata looks to Yamaguchi, then back to Tsukishima, before nodding and scampering off.

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi says as he pulls the taller boy over to the bleachers, “Are you feeling alright?”

Tsukishima swallows hard (swallows what, Yamaguchi is not going to think about), before croaking out, “M fine.”

 Yamaguchi stares Tsukishima down, which is normally hard to do since Tsukishima is so tall but today, today his friend seems tiny, shrunken in on himself, and so it’s no surprise that he chooses to close his eyes, rather than meet Yamaguchi’s gaze.

“You’re going home,” Yamaguchi says, and tugs on Tsukishima’s arm again, this time pulling him in the direction of the locker room.

“What? No—“ Tsukishima’s reaction is delayed and weak, his attempt to break away amounting to little more than half-heartedly trying to pull his arm back.  Yamaguchi doesn’t even have to tighten his grip to counteract it.

“ _Yes_ , Tsukki,” Yamaguchi responds, frowning hard.  “You’re sick, you need to go home.  I’ll call your parents, can either of them come get you?”

Tsukishima shakes his head, “Business trips.  I’ll go to the nurse, but I’m not leaving—“ Harsh coughs interrupt Tsukishima’s words, the awful sound of them enough to make Yamaguchi’s hair stand on end.  Frantic, Yamaguchi rubs circles over Tsukishima’s back until the fit passes.

“You’re going  _home_ ,” Yamaguchi says again, and before Tsukishima can protest, Yamaguchi is informing Takeda-sensei of the situation, and asks him to tell their homeroom teacher that they’ll be out for the day.

“What do you mean  _we’ll_  be out?”  Tsukishima asks, once they’ve left Takeda and made their way back to the locker room.  “Why are you leaving?”

“Because your parents aren’t home,” Yamaguchi replies with a shrug, “I’m not just gonna leave you there alone.”

There’s a lot Tsukishima wants to say in response, and uncharacteristically enough it’s all plain on his bewildered face, but all he manages to say is, “It’s not that serious.”

“Maybe, but I’m staying with you Tsukki,” Yamaguchi says, and if his tone is a bit stern, well, maybe Tsukishima should stop being so stubborn, “And it’s no use trying to stop me.”

—

They have to walk home, which is—not ideal, so far as Yamaguchi’s concerned.   Away from the prying eyes of their teammates and under the harsh winter cold, Tsukishima wilts, curling into himself as much as possible while still walking, his sniffles loud and downright pathetic.   by the time they get to Tsukishima’s home all the fight’s been ripped out of him, leaves him docile and pliant under Yamaguchi’s busy hands, that unwind all the damp and snot-smeared scarves from around Tsukishima’s face, strip off his coat and sweater and deposit him on a couch with a thick blanket while Yamaguchi runs the bath for him. 

“Now you take a good long soak,” Yamaguchi insists as he corrals Tsukishima into the bathroom, “I’ll make you something to eat, and then you’re going to bed.”

“I’m not gonna sleep,” Tsukishima grumbles, “Not tired.”

“Oh yeah?” Yamaguchi looks up from the buttons of Tsukishima’s uniform, half of them undone by his own hands.  “Use all that energy to take off your own clothes, then.”

Tsukishima scowls, lifts his hands to his shirt to prove that, as a matter of fact he  _can_  undo his own buttons, but the way his typically steady fingers fumble with the buttons inspires pity in Yamaguchi, and he takes over again without a second thought.

“I’ll leave pajamas out for you,” Yamaguchi says, once he’s got Tsukishima down to his trousers (just one button and a zipper, surely Tsukishima can handle that much). “Come to the living room when you’re done.”

The bath seems to do Tsukishima some good; his coloring is a bit better, and he doesn’t look ready to fall over at the slightest nudge.  Even so, Yamaguchi can’t help but frown. 

“Tsukki, don’t leave your hair wet when you’re already sick,” he scolds, and waves Tsukishima over to the couch where he’s been waiting, a bowl of rice porridge already set out on the table before him. 

“Seriously Tsukki,” Yamaguchi mutters, once he’s got the other boy seated by his legs.  He slides down to the floor as well, pulling two doubled-up blankets he’d found in the closet around Tsukishima’s shoulders, tucking it in around him.  “You’re not usually this careless, and you’re already sick you know!”

Tsukishima shifts under the blanket, and eventually manages to free one hand from his cocoon just long enough to pass Yamaguchi a small towel.

Yamaguchi looks to the towel, then to Tsukishima, and sighs.  He  _is_  sick, Yamaguchi thinks, as he drapes the towel over Tsukishima’s head and begins to gently rubbing small circles over the other’s boy’s hair.    

Tsukishima leans into Yamaguchi’s hands, lets his puffy, watery eyes slide closed and takes a deep, wet-sounding breath through his rubbed-raw nose.  His cheeks are still a high pink, his forehead already gathering fresh sweat.  He looks awful and vulnerable and utterly pathetic, really, but Yamaguchi’s heart climbs into his throat all the same.

There’s quiet for just a moment until Tsukishima prods at it, turning his face away to mumble something.  His lips brush the inside of Yamaguchi’s arm as they form the words, but between his hushed volume and his stuffed sinuses, Yamaguchi can’t make heads or tails of what he says.

“I  _said_ ,” Tsukishima repeats, his voice drowsy, though the vibration of it is just a bit stronger against Yamaguchi’s skin, “I wanted you to do it.”

Yamaguchi’s hands still for a moment as heat rises to his face—maybe he’s catching Tsukishima’s cold?—before he clears his throat enough to say, “Tsukki?”

“You said you’d take care of me,” Tsukishima says, opening his eyes just enough to pin Yamaguchi with his tired stare, “So do it.”

“Oh,” Yamaguchi murmurs, and remembers to keep his hands moving  over the towel covering Tsukishima’s hair.  “Okay Tsukki.  If there’s anything else you want, just ask.”

Yamaguchi thinks that’s the end of it when Tsukishima nods.  He doesn’t expect a finishing blow in the form of Tsukishima’s upturned lips and a quiet, sincere, “Thank you.”

If affections were wind, Yamaguchi’s would be strong enough to bring the house down around them.  As it stands, his overflowing fondness calls up a storm only in his chest, and throws him forward to hug Tsukishima with enough force to send them to the floor in a pile of limbs and blankets.

“I’ll take great care of you Tsukki,” Yamaguchi declares, quiet and resolute. “You’ll be better before you know it.”


End file.
